Country connections

Meet the families making their lives and businesses better with Harbour ISP Sky Muster™

Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get the full picture. That’s why we sent ace videographer, Mick Matheson, from Phantom2 Media on journeys of hundreds of kilometres through rural New South Wales to talk first-hand with some of our valued Harbour ISP nbn™ Sky Muster™ customers and to hear their stories.

Mick’s mission was to speak to three families, the Bartons, the Riphagens and the Emenys and learn about the difference having a fast, reliable satellite internet connection had made to business and personal lives.

Of course, it’s not exactly a quick trip round the block.

“Well, some of the roads are pretty sketchy, and that’s why I have an all-wheel-drive. You can’t listen to your GPS when it tells you that 100kms will take an hour – depending on different road surfaces and conditions it could be double that.”

First stop was Mudgee Lamb, where Mick met Carolyn and Michael Emeny at Javoca, their farm in rural NSW. Watch the video below to see the Emenys talk about what having Harbour ISP Sky Muster™ means for them.

What struck Mick most about the interview, was what a difference it made for Carolyn and Michael to be able to conduct conversations over video calls instead of via email. The connection they can make with customers allows them to form great business relationships that are much more personal than if they were just over email or phone.

“Javoca is a stunning property, and Carolyn and Michael wouldn’t want to run their business from anywhere else. The beauty is with Harbour ISP Sky Muster™, they don’t have to.”

Mudgee Lamb is relatively close to Mick’s own property (in country terms!), but to get to the Bartons, it’s a fair drive on some interesting roads. Turning off the dirt track into the farm, the road becomes, well, a little different.

“It was earmarked to be a railway,” Mick tells us, “but there were never any sleepers or tracks laid, so they just took that base and turned it into a road!”

The Bartons are traditional farmers and the same family has worked the land for decades.

“Successful farming these days relies on having the right equipment and machinery,” muses Mick, “and you have to keep up with the latest advances in agriculture technology to stay competitive. But, farms are businesses too, so they have to keep up with business technology as well.”

Watch the video to see how the Bartons rely on a stable, reliable satellite internet connection for both their farm, their business, and their family activities.

Last, but not least, Mick calls on the Riphagen family, who live outside the small town of Orange, NSW. There’s no mobile signal out at their property and Andre, who works as a radiographer at the local hospital, really needs the stable phone connection via the Sky Muster™ satellite VOIP service which is essential for when he’s on call.

But Mick understands what’s really important…

“For Andre’s daughter, Miaake, being able to speak to friends and to share pictures and videos on Facebook and Snapchat is essential. Friendships are important for teenagers, and they have to be able to stay in touch with everything that’s going on with their friends, even if they live out of town.”

Watch the video below to see how Harbour ISP Sky Muster™ keeps the Riphagen family close to their friends in Australia and family in Europe.

Heading home, Mick has a couple of hours’ drive ahead. “Out here, you have to plan your trips carefully. Lots of small towns that you’ll see on the map don’t have petrol stations, or even a take away spot to get some food.”

“Lucky I have a full tank and a BBQ waiting at home.”

Life’s not so bad in the country after all.

Visit our Sky Muster™ customer stories page to see all the videos and learn more about the difference Harbour ISP is making to country the lives of some of our rural and remote customers.

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